Tag: weather

November 26th – After the wet, grey and unpleasant morning, it was nice to see the day dry up with some blue sky visible at lunchtime. Great skies with high cloud, and a slight warmth on the breeze really made a change as I rode down into Wednesbury on an errand.

I’d like more of this. Looking at the forecast, that seems unlikely.

November 23rd – it’s been a while coming this year, but a hard frost took me by surprise. On the roads and towpaths, ice lurked, waiting to snach my wheels from under me.

I let a little air out of the tyres, and took it steady. I pondered whether it was time to fit the studded winter tyres gain…

November 5th – At Telford, two mysteries, one easily solved. On my journey I often pass a budget hotel, the rear of which is visible from the cycleway. On top of a cage surrounding what looks like air conditioning and refrigeration plant, a bicycle. It hasn’t moved for a year or more, or at least, it’s been there every day I’ve passed by. I’m wondering if anybody has actually noticed it from the hotel, or if it’s just a really secure locking space?

And then, the bike shed at the place I was visiting. Normally I have a job finding a space on sunny days. Today, only the hardcore mountain biker guy has rode in. And it looks like he got a wet arse doing so.

No mystery about fair-weather cyclists…

October 31st – And then, the return. In shades of pink, blue, orange and grey, it was cinematic and even the distant, noisy sweep of traffic was beautiful. There was little wind and noise, and the smells of the season just hung in the air.

I’ve made no bones about having the darkness of winter. Everyone who reads this must surely know how I feel about it – yet when autumn is old and winter encroaches, the gloom is punctuated by a beauty you never feel in summer.

October 24th – Passed through Aldridge as night fell. i’d been running an errand, and had to get shopping in. The sky was clear, and if I’d been in a place with a decent view, I think the sunset was pretty good. 

It felt cold, though, that onset of winter kind of cold. I could see my breath form clouds of missed, and the air felt hard, brittle and clear.

Appropriate, really, that British Summer Time ends tonight, and the darkness that haunts me returns.

Ah well, bring it on…

October 11th – A gentle run along the canal back to Brownhills was in order, and on the way, I noticed a beautiful sky. My grandfather used to call this a ‘Mackerel Sky’ – presumably after the markings of atlantic mackerel. 

He used to have a saying ‘Mackerel sky, 24 hours dry’ – and it broadly seems to work, I think. Wonder if there’s a meteorological basis for this or if it’s just an old wive’s tale?

October 7th – I was right about the rain and fungus. At the weekend I bemoaned the lack of interesting fungi, particularly fly agaric, and suspected the dearth was due to the dry weather.

Cue the rains of the last couple of days, and hey presto! – A huge forest of glistening ink caps has popped up on Clayhanger Common, and the orange peel fungus I spotted a week ago has, after spending days dormant, opened out.

Rain may be an annoyance for me, but it has been needed for a few weeks.

September 15th – It was an intemperate commute, the traffic was mad and the weather highly changeable, derring between azure blue skies and sudden, hectoring bursts of rain.

On the canal in central Walsall, there was little to indicate autumn here in green nowhere, with just blue skies, verdant foliage and mirror-like water. Only the saturated towpath spoke of the untrustworthy weather.

July 27th – I awoke to a better day. It was warm again and the sun was shining sporadically. After the dismal unpleasantness of the previous day, this was refreshing and welcome, particularly as I’d expected a wet morning commute.

The dearth of traffic (due to the Industrial Fortnight) also made for a pleasant ride.

Passing the rowans in Pleck, I noticed their berries were plump and now bright orange. This pleased me.

Sometimes, like the berries, sun and warmth is all I need.